


Terms and Conditions

by doesparkjiminisgay



Category: GOT7, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Prison, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Kim Namjoon | Rap Monster, Prostitute Park Jimin, Prostitution, Scared Kim Taehyung | V
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2018-12-13 13:59:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11761377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doesparkjiminisgay/pseuds/doesparkjiminisgay
Summary: Guilty. The word rattled through Taehyung's mind as he was rushed out of the court house.Guilty. The guards were pulling roughly on his metal restraints as they flung the court doors open.Guilty. The flashing lights of snapping cameras nearly blinded the brunette.Guilty. Tae looked up from his shackled feet only to see that he was approaching an armored vehicle. That's when he started to resist.Guilty. He thrashed around in the guard's grip.Guilty. The camera flashes sped up again.Guilty. He couldn't-.Guilty. They weren't allowed-.Guilty. He didn't belong-.Guilty. The car door shut behind him. It was over. His breathing slowed once more and he cried.The car door shut behind him. It was over. His breathing slowed once more and he cried.The gray metal cabin of the car seemed to close in on him until he was lying in a fetal position on the cold floor.





	1. Broken Generation

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'm excited to finally be releasing this story. A friend and I are writing it together and we're both stoked to see where it goes. We've planned out most everything but still need to do lots of writing. It's gonna be a roller coaster of emotion and we're both pretty proud of this story so buckle up and get ready for the ride!
> 
> Also, this chapter is very short. I know. It's just a short introduction. More to come.

_Guilty._ The word rattled through Taehyung's mind as he was rushed out of the court house.

 _Guilty._ The guards were pulling roughly on his metal restraints as they flung the court doors open.

 _Guilty._ The flashing lights of snapping cameras nearly blinded the brunette.

 _Guilty._ Tae looked up from his shackled feet only to see that he was approaching an armored vehicle. That's when he started to resist.

 _Guilty._ He thrashed around in the guard's grip.

 _Guilty._ The camera flashes sped up again.

 _Guilty._ He couldn't-.

 _Guilty._ They weren't allowed-.

 _Guilty._ He didn't belong-.

_Guilty._

The car door shut behind him. It was over. His breathing slowed once more and he cried. The gray metal cabin of the car seemed to close in on him until he was lying in a fetal position on the cold floor.

"You're lucky, kid." Said one of the security officers through the barred window between the two cabins.

"They don't have room for you at the maximum security prison a couple miles east, so you get to stay at a low sec until room opens up. People like you get special attention at low secs."

Tae shivered at the thought. _People like me._

After a moment the guard spoke up again.

"That's something I've never understood; people's obsession with why Crazies snap."


	2. Back Against the Wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you got my back against the wall  
> I ain't got no other place to hide  
> chained down  
> like a sittin' duck just waitin' for the fall
> 
> "Back Against the Wall" by Cage The Elephant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's the first real chapter. Enjoy! Please leave kudos and comments if you like it

you got my back against the wall  
I ain't got no other place to hide  
chained down  
like a sittin' duck just waitin' for the fall

It was hot. That was the first thing Tae noticed. The prison was in the shape of a square, with a large open courtyard in the middle directly under the beating sun. The guards had been stopped at the entrance to check Tae in, but they told him to wait in the courtyard until someone came to get him. Sweaty inmates were littered across the dead grass. Some were playing basketball, but most were sitting around seemingly waiting for their impending death by heat exhaustion. They all looked up as Taehyung walked through the gates.

The clearing was silent for a couple moments until the chatter slowly picked back up. Everyone could tell Tae was different. He didn't exactly fit in with the crowd of petty criminals and perverts. He was small and soft skinned with fluffy brown hair that, despite the day's events, was still perfectly lying slightly over his face. Tae always hated attention and currently he was getting a lot of it. Most of the inmates that continued to stare assumed that Tae was of the same profession as inmate Park Jimin, an extremely well known companion of some of the other inmates. As incorrect as that assumption was, it still managed to leave some unholy ideas about the shell-shocked boy in their heads.

Tae sat down at an empty metal table, folding into himself. However, despite his closed-off posture, some of the men started to advance towards him. His breathing started to pick up and he started to panic. Suddenly a hand was gently placed on his shoulder. Tae flinched away from the touch and spun around quickly, eyeing the person who dared to touch him.

A man with a kind face and peach colored hair stood above him in a guard's uniform. He smiled at Tae.

"Calm down, kid. I'm just here to take you to your cell." As Tae just stared at him, Hoseok glanced around at the other staring inmates, cringing at the way they were looking at the new boy.

"You know. The place that locks at night so you can't get out." Tae deflated at this.

"And more importantly the others can't get in." The brunette immediately stood up, ready to leave the courtyard. Hoseok chuckled softly.

"C'mon." He said, leading Tae up a set of stairs on one side of the courtyard. "My name's Hoseok by the way." Tae nodded as they walked. Inmates were standing in the entrances of their cells watching them pass.

"I'm Kim Taehyung." He said, voice wavering. He then realized he hadn't uttered a word since the screaming fit he had outside the courthouse.

"Don't worry, I know who you are." Hoseok replied. Tae looked down in shame. They reached the cell Hoseok was looking for and Tae stepped inside. Everything was gray, it seemed. He went to sit on the metal bed, staring at the cold concrete floors. "Look, I'm sorry all this happened to you." Hoseok spoke up and Tae looked up, confused.

"Not many people would agree with that point of view." He said solemnly.

"Well, they aren't the ones who spend every day here. I know what this place does to people. Sending someone here is something you can't mess up, ‘cause this place will ruin you." Hoseok said, looking at Tae sadly. "I'll let you get settled in and I'll see you at dinner."

He stepped back from the opening of Tae's cell, closing and locking it behind him. He turned to look at Tae one more time, winking at the brunette. "Don't fuck with me, Kim! You killed a cop in cold blood, you aren't gonna be getting any special treatment here!" Hoseok yelled out of nowhere, expressionless. Tae scooted backwards in fear, cowering into himself. Hoseok got closer to the bars, whispering so only Tae could hear. "Sorry about that, kid. Trust me. That will help you these first couple days. And now at least they know you aren't a prostitute."

Tae was ridiculously confused, but he played along anyway.

"Fuck you too!" He yelled back. As low as his voice was, it was still rather feminine and hearing the words echo off the walls of the prison made him cringe. Hoseok smirked at the boy. Tae smiled weakly back at him.

The man with the peach hair did a small wave before stomping away from Tae's cell, looking rather angry. Tae stood up and walked to the bars, holding onto them with his small hands. He watched the other inmates doing their normal activities until his eyes were drawn to the cell directly across from his own.

There stood a man with very short turquoise hair. He was standing just like Tae, watching the small boy's every move. After noticing the man, Tae took some steps back from the bars, deciding it would be best for him to just lay down and sort out his thoughts.

•°●☆

Taehyung didn't realise how long he had been laying down until a beep came blasting through the intercoms.

"Dinner." It announced. The cell door automatically unlocked and slid open, leaving an anxious feeling in Tae's stomach. He stood up off of the metal frame of his bed and walked tentatively towards his cell door. Inmates rushed past, their eyes glazed over with hunger.

Tae glanced across the courtyard, not seeing the tall man with turquoise hair. This somehow reassured him and he started walking with the crowd down a corridor. The lights in the hallway were flickering, but it was well lit by the room they were walking to. Tae kept his arms wrapped around himself to keep from accidentally touching any of the other inmates.

When the group reached the cafeteria, Tae was ridiculously overwhelmed. He hadn't seen that many people in one place since the time he was walked into his first court date years ago.

Seeing the inmates moving around, yelling occasionally as he tried to get food reminded him of the protesters outside of the courthouse, cheering for his conviction. He quickly got out of line searching the common area for an empty table.

Once he found one he jogged over to it and sat down, putting his head down on the table hoping to clear his mind of the memories.  
His breathing soon slowed down and he regained his composure, but as soon as he started feeling better, hands started brushing over his shoulders. The cold calloused hands of almost all of those who passed by managed to end up grazing some part of Taehyung's backside. He shivered and closed his eyes, hoping to just fall asleep and forget everything. One of the inmates let their hand brush through Tae's hair, triggering some unhappy memories.

"It's okay, Taehyungie." He heard from a voice he knew wasn't there. He stood with his eyes burning from the tears that were threatening to escape.

He glanced around, realizing that every person in the food hall was staring at him. He rushed out of the room, hoping to make it back to his cell before someone stopped him. He was soon running, not sure what from, with his head down. This concluded in him running into someone much taller than him. Tae fell backwards, landing hard on his ass. He then looked up to see who he had run into, and was now towering over him.

It was the turquoise-haired man from the cell across from his, and Tae couldn't help but cower under his hard gaze. The smaller boy quickly scrambled to his feet, taking a second to will himself to simply look away from the tall man's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Tae stuttered, bowing his head and starting to speed walk away. He glanced back every few seconds to make sure the intimidating man wasn't following him. He finally made it to his cell however he hadn't realized that once opened, the cell couldn't be shut.

Not knowing what to do, he made his way to the back left corner of the room, hiding behind his bed. He cried and shook until he heard footsteps outside his door. He tried to silence himself but his breathing simply wouldn't slow. The footsteps got closer and closer until Tae could tell they were right in front of him. He finally looked up, making eye contact with the stranger.

"You are really bringing a lot of attention to yourself, bro."


	3. Play With Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And I guess I knew it  
> This whole time  
> But these old feelings  
> They make me blind
> 
> "Play With Fire" by Vance Joy

And I guess I knew it  
This whole time  
But these old feelings  
They make me blind

Stumbling over his words a bit, Tae hesitantly asked the brunette what his name was.

“Jeon Jungkook. And I already know who you are.” He stated. Tae attempted to quickly and casually regain some semblance of equanimity by wiping his eyes and clearing his throat.

“You've already made a bit of a reputation for yourself around here. Which, mind you, probably isn't a good thing.” Jungkook continued. “You've caught some dangerous attention.” Tae frowned at this and crossed his arms across his chest.

“What do you mean by that?” He questioned, a bit suspiciously.

“The man that you bumped into in the hall. He's not the kind of guy you want to mess with, alright? Trust me. That shit could get you killed. Or worse.” With that, Jungkook let out a sigh and turned on his heels to walk out of Taehyung’s cell.

 _Worse?_ He thought, a bit terrified, and equally confused.

•°●☆

Taehyung didn't remember falling asleep that night. Maybe it was the catcalling inmates; maybe it was because he ended up crying himself to sleep, despite his best efforts. But nonetheless, he awoke the next morning, hurting all over. He, again, felt like crying and continued to lie on his bed, facing the dull wall as he heard the clank of his cell door opening.

He did his best to ignore the not-so-inconspicuous murmurs of the other inmates as he heard quiet footsteps approaching.

“Taehyung?” Hoseok’s honey-like whisper cut through all of the indecent comments. “Taehyung.” He repeated, a bit more firm this time, but still retaining his concerned tone. “Come on. You have to get up.”

Only then could Taehyung manage to push himself up from his bed with a soft groan of discomfort. He groggily rubbed his eyes and looked at Hoseok, on the brink of a yawn. “How did you sleep?” He asks, glancing back at the occasional inmate still passing by.

“Oh, heavenly. It was like sleeping on a cloud.” Tae grumbled. Hoseok chuckled for a moment and then slipped into a more melancholy expression.

“Well, it's shower time.” At this, Tae actually let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Oh, good.” He breathed. “I thought they would deny me cleanliness as well as freedom and privacy.” He rattled off, starting to feel a bit comfortable with his new companion. Hoseok says nothing but a flat, “Follow me.” As he walks from Tae’s cell to the washrooms.

Tae lets a bit of a relaxed smile slip onto his face. Longing, and holding onto the promise of a nice, hot shower to wash off the horrible, lingering feeling of being touched by the other inmates. As Hoseok stopped at a door and stepped out of the way for Taehyung to go in, he mumbled, “Be careful.” He avoided any sort of eye contact as Taehyung opened the door.

All the color and hope drained from Taehyung as he saw what looked like a high school shower room, with dozens of inmates in various stages of dress, and in most cases: undress.

Tae quickly scanned the room to find a vacant shower in the corner. He scampered to it. He slowly unbuttoned his top. His face heated up and tears welled as he felt the intense gazes and harsh stares on his back. He devolved into a silent sob as he finished stripping, setting his clothing in the dry bench adjacent to the shower. He used the cool water from the showerhead to mask the hot tears running down his face.

Then the comments started. They said things Tae couldn't imagine ever being thought, let alone said aloud. _They're just words._ Tae reassured himself as he tried to speed up his shower. He heard some people snickering behind him and all he could do was try to ignore them.

“Damn it…” one of them said dramatically, sighing in false disappointment. “There aren't any more open showers.” Tae froze, panic paling his cold skin. He felt a presence behind him and his feeling was validated when a large hand was placed on his waist. “You mind if we share, Twink?”

Tae immediately moved away from the stranger, turning around to face him. “Please, just leave me alone.” He said quietly, making his way to where he had left his clothes. However, his clothes weren't where he had left them.

“Oh, come on. You're really gonna be like that?” The man from the shower asked as Tae looked around frantically for his clothes. A hot, uncomfortable feeling began to grow in Tae’s stomach as he began to truly panic.

This had only happened a few times before. Once, in a school presentation. Funny, how insignificant that seems now. And, once again, this time when his mother died. Taehyung had a relatively normal childhood. A loving mother and father. But after his mother died in the accident, his father became distant. It could've been worse. His father could've turned to alcohol, or been physically violent. But it was just enough at just the wrong time to send Tae spiraling further into anxiety.

The attacks had been occurring more and more frequently, considering his current situation. And in the moment, he could think of nothing but, _Out. I need to get out. I need my clothes._

The man with the rough hands and even rougher voice who had grabbed onto him snapped him out of the trance by pulling their naked bodies closer and asking gruffly, “What are you so scared of? You're supposed to be a cop-killer. Or was that something little Hoseok made up to keep you all to himself, huh?”

By the time that the man’s calloused hand starting trailing down lower from Tae’s waist, he had enough. He quickly balled a fist and punched the man in the nose as hard as he could.

In the moment of surprise, Tae managed to locate a towel to put around his waist and ran out from the shower room as he heard shouts of profanity and laughter from behind him.

He ignored the faint pain pulsating through his knuckles as he looked around for any sign of his clothes or someone who could help.

The man who he punched, who now had blood dripping from his nose, and a few other guys ran out shortly afterward, still yelling profanity. He noticed that a man standing near the back of the group was holding his clothes.

He started to try and formulate a plan as Bloody Nose stepped forward.

“Hey, twink. Hows about you come back in and give us all a little show? If you behave, we'll give your clothes back.” He chortles. “Maybe.”

Thinking of literally anything else he could to retrieve his clothes, Taehyung was thrown off as he heard footsteps approaching.  
He slowly turned to meet the eyes of the turquoise-haired man; this time, he didn't flinch or turn away. But as soon as he saw the darkness behind those blown pupils, he instantly understood and found the truth in Jungkook’s words.


	4. Genesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My heart will never feel  
> Will never see  
> Will never know  
> And then it falls  
> And then I fall  
> And then I know
> 
> "Genesis" by Grimes

My heart will never feel  
Will never see  
Will never know  
And then it falls  
And then I fall  
And then I know

Taehyung found himself immediately consumed by those eyes. He blinked in surprise; he stepped back, caught off guard. Immediately, he was grabbed by Bloody Nose.

“Sorry for the noise, Namjoon. New boy here won't cooperate.” This turquoise-haired man, Namjoon, simply stared at Bloody Nose; his powerful aura only magnified his harsh look.

Tae barely realized when Bloody Nose released his arms. Once he did so, Namjoon looked at him with a less harsh gaze and stepped aside while gesturing to the corridor behind him.

Quickly getting the message, Taehyung gripped his towel to make absolute sure he wouldn't suffer more embarrassment and walked swiftly past Namjoon. He made sure not to look back as he heard the jarring noise of something being slammed against metal.

•°●☆

After talking to Hobi about getting his clothes back, he had finally gotten dressed back at his cell and was able to take a moment to himself. He was laying down on his bed and staring at the dull ceiling, thinking back at the events from before when he heard a familiar voice.

“You're not a very good listener, are you?” Taehyung immediately sat up and looked over to see Jungkook leaning against the wall of his cell. “You really gotta learn how to take advice, Tae.” he said, shaking his head in amusement. Tae tried to stammer a response before the brunette continued, “Everyone is talking about you, and after what happened in the showers earlier, it's only gonna get worse.”

Feeling upset and confused, Tae tried to explain. “Well, it wasn't my fault! The guy grabbed me and I didn't have any clothes and I thought he was gonna… ugh I don't know, but I didn't have a choice, so I punched-” Tae was cut off by the younger boy.

“Punching the guy isn't the issue, I would have done the same thing. The problem was that-” Jungkook trailed off, then closed his eyes for a second and took a breath before opening them again and continuing.

“You know what? That doesn’t matter. Here's the deal: Hobi seems to trust you, so I trust you. From what I know about you, you seem like a good person. I'm saying this out of concern. I don't think you understand the ramifications of what Namjoon did back there.” Jungkook glanced out of the cell and down each end of the corridor then went to sit on the bed next to the other boy.

“Things are changing, Tae, and you're at the center of it all. Just try to lay low, and hope that the others forget about you and settle down.” He urged, putting a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder.

“If you can't do that then please, just stay away from Namjoon.” He added, letting out a semi-forced laugh. Tae’s mind was still reeling, trying to process this new information as Jungkook stood back up and left his cell.

Hoseok returned to Taehyung’s cell to check on him afterward. Upon his approach, he found Taehyung staring up at his ceiling from his hard cot. Feeling bad for the boy, he tried to rouse him from his melancholic state; with no success.

After the stressful events earlier, Hoseok decided that he would cut him a break and tried to lessen his distress with soft, murmured reassurances and a light stroke of Taehyung’s hair. After realizing this affectionate but innocent action led to the younger subconsciously leaning his head towards him, the guard shot him a conflicted look then quickly retracted his hand and left the cell.

•°●☆

A few hours later, the guard found himself back to check on the boy. This time the latter was at least up and moving around, and Hoseok found himself smiling.  
“Feeling better?” He asked, getting a nod from Tae. “Good.” Hoseok beamed and continued, “Come on then. You can't keep skipping meals.”

Upon arrival to the cafeteria, Taehyung went through the long line and bounded over to an empty table. He started to gulp down his food, not having realized how hungry he was until he started eating. As he started to slow his pace, he noticed the raucous room had quieted down. For a moment, he thought that the attention had been taken off him. Taehyung would come to regret his slow turn to see what he thought was some poor fool that had captured everyone's gaze.

His hands trembled at the sight. The men who had bothered him in the bathroom were beaten and bloody. One seemed almost unconscious, and the other was struggling to get out from under the foot of a stoic man with sleek black hair. This man with the dark, empty eyes and crisp jawline seemed to stare at Namjoon for approval.

Though, Namjoon’s attention was somewhere else entirely. As Taehyung’s eyes trailed from the dark haired man to Namjoon, their eyes met. A realization soon dawned on Tae. Namjoon, who was the current focus of the entire room, seemed enthralled by him, and only him.

After what seemed like forever, Namjoon looked back to the dark-haired man. With a casual flick of Namjoon’s wrist, the man stepped away from the men on the floor and stole a quick glance at Tae before heading towards the line for food.

Starting to panic, Taehyung swiveled back around in his seat and turned his attention back to his food. He continued to eat, despite the overwhelming feeling of dread that gnawed at him when he heard the sound of footsteps emerging from the silence. He simply ignored it, and he definitely didn't notice when the sound steadily grew and approached him from across the room. But when the owner of said footsteps sat down at the table across from him, he could no longer pretend it wasn't happening.

“Kim Taehyung.” The boy flinched and hesitantly looked at Namjoon, startled by his sonorous voice. “You know, not many people would have the guts you do. Coming in here and getting a guard in your pocket in the first week? At first, I was just impressed. It took me way longer than that, it all just seems a little off though. So, what exactly are you selling?”

Tae wanted to curl up into himself. He wanted to disappear as the turquoise-haired man’s volume increased sentence by sentence. Though, the other seemed oblivious to this as he continued.

“Narcotics? Psychotropics? Cannabis derivatives?”

Taehyung was still staring in shock as the other man got up and pulled him from his seat.

“What are you doing?” Tae nervously stammered, staring with his wide doe eyes. The corner of Namjoon’s lips quirked up into a smirk at this.

“If you're gonna act innocent, then it's my place to change that.“ He retorted, tightening his grip on the younger boy’s thin wrist and walking out.

As Taehyung let himself be forcefully dragged along, he took one last glimpse at the cafeteria and he could have sworn he saw Hoseok watching the pair with an apprehensive grimace.


	5. Bruises and Bitemarks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruises & bitemarks say  
> Takes one to bring the pain  
> Passion lies in screams  
> Of ecstatic dreams
> 
> "Bruises & Bitemarks" by Good With Grenades

Bruises & bitemarks say  
Takes one to bring the pain  
Passion lies in screams  
Of ecstatic dreams

 

Tae's thoughts were muffled by the stupor-inducing numbness that restrained him from any type of opposition as he was pulled along the various walkways leading to the tall man's destination. The prison that was usually bustling with chatter and noise sounded like it was underwater to him. Time seemed to slow, and everything was hazy.

So by the time Tae was slowly, and almost gently laid down onto the mattress, he had only just begun to feel the hands that had been roaming underneath his shirt and the lips pressed against his own. He turned his head to the side, disconnecting their lips. Namjoon took this as an invitation and started leaving hickies along Taehyung’s neck. Tae’s wide eyes focused on the brick wall to the left of him.

The slight imperfections in the bricks pulled him out of his head, the reality of the situation dawning on him. The past couple of days had drained him and left him powerless, so all he could do was lay there. He was so numb that he hardly noticed the tears slipping down his face.

Namjoon moved back to take off his orange shirt but paused once he saw Taehyung’s state. Tae hesitantly met the older’s eyes. Namjoon was impossible to read with his intense gaze, completely unmoving, as he stared at the brunette. Suddenly, he stood up off of the bed. He didn't look at Tae once after that. He walked away from the younger, stopping in the center of the room to run his hands roughly down his face. He looked down at the floor, breathing heavily.

“Get out.” He said lowly. Tae was still frozen in place. “I said get the fuck out.” Namjoon said louder. Tae got the message. He stood up off the bed quickly and rushed out of the room.

The soft thud of his feet hitting the floor again and again was the only indication he had that he was still moving. His entire being was numb, and his thoughts raced. The sound eventually faded as he felt as if everything was underwater again.

Taehyung could barely hear a thing now, and his sight was now blurry and fading fast. He felt like he was being suffocated. The boy hardly noticed his world tilting on its side and the flash of pastel pink darting across his field of vision before he felt a hard impact. This impact knocked out what little breath was left in the Tae’s body and he desperately gasped for air before everything went black.

•°●☆

When Taehyung opened his eyes, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, but only for a moment. He felt a throbbing from his head throughout his entire body. It weighed down his eyelids and he was back out before he could give it a second thought.

At some point after the throbbing faded, he groggily opened his eyes to see a pink haired boy above him.

“Hoseokie! The cutie is awake.” The tiny boy cooed, looking at him with a suggestive grin, before giggling at Tae’s confused look. “You’re lucky I found you, you know. They’re not above trying something on someone who’s unconscious, trust me. And you hit your head pretty hard.” He leaned in to give Taehyung a quick peck on the lips, then sat back and skipped over to Hobi, who had just walked in.

“By the way, I’m Chimchim. That’s what everyone calls me, at least.” He gave a sly smile before continuing. “That first one was free. If you want more, it’ll cost you. And I’m not a cheap toy.” He finished and walked out, swaying his hips so that one couldn’t help but stare for at least a moment. Taehyung noticed the way Hobi had let his eyes trail hopelessly after the small boy, maybe for a bit longer than he was comfortable with.

Immediately feeling out of place, Tae stared down at his hands and fidgeted with them, in an attempt to distract himself from that small pang of jealousy that he would endlessly deny ever having felt.

After Jimin’s lithe frame slipped out the door frame, Hoseok’s soft gaze fell on Tae.

“That...was Jimin.” He mumbled.

A moment of empty silence passed, and Taehyung lifted his eyes to meet the guard’s. But his soft, warm, and comforting eyes weren’t what the younger saw.

He saw those eyes. The ones that haunted him. The blown pupils. The darkness. The cold desire hidden behind them. Again, he began to feel hazy. Everything spun and he could almost feel him again. He had a burning itch under his skin where Namjoon had touched him. He felt everything. Hands up and down his chest. His neck. His jaw. His lips. He was on fire, and his chest constricted. He couldn’t breathe.

And then, it stopped. He felt himself pressed to a warm body, but not uncomfortably. His head rested against the chest of the other and took a deep inhale. A faint scent of spiced apples and honey cut through. This overwhelmingly pleasant embrace and the soft whispers lulled him back to steady breathing. As Tae looked up, he didn’t see Namjoon anymore. He saw only Hoseok, in his entirety. He had been watching over him with a concerned look.

In that moment, he looked like the polar opposite of Namjoon. He was caring, warm, patient. He was safe. He gave the elder a tired smile, then laid his head back down onto his chest. In Hoseok’s murmurs, he heard something that stuck out and made his heart swell.

“I’ll keep you safe.”

This had registered to the boy but just for a moment, because Taehyung had one thought running through his head.

_He let me go._


	6. Good To Be Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the back of my mind  
> Everything seems fine  
> You go your way I go mine  
> We just need to take our time  
> It is good... To be alone
> 
> "Good to Be Alone" by Matt Corby

In the back of my mind  
Everything seems fine  
You go your way I go mine  
We just need to take our time  
It is good... To be alone

After about thirty minutes of Hoseok trying to comfort Taehyung, the older decided that it would probably start to draw the attention of the other inmates if their meeting lasted any longer than it already had.

“Jimin is going to watch over you this week, until the warden comes back. Then we can reassess.” Hoseok said as Tae started to walk to the door.

Tae stopped and turned around. “Jimin?” he asked confused.

“Believe it or not he's quite the ‘mediator’. He can't exactly defend you though. He has a certain rapport with the guys in the prison that gives him the freedom to do what he wants, but if they find out he's helping you, that could all go down the drain.” Hoseok explained from behind his desk.

“Oh, okay.” Taehyung replied.

“Be careful.” Hoseok added as Taehyung stepped through the doorway.

Tae just nodded and smiled weakly as he left the room. He turned to the right but was stopped by the looming figure of Namjoon’s goon, Jaebum. Jaebum slowly stepped out of the shorter boys way and Taehyung cautiously started to walk again, speeding up to get away from the dark-eyed male. However, when he looked back Jaebum was following his every step. Tae tried to ignore it, but no matter where he went, he felt Jaebum’s presence.

•°●☆

It wasn't long before Taehyung found himself back in the dreaded dining hall. He didn't really feel like eating, given the constant feeling of being watched. But he thought he would be safer amongst the others, rather than alone in his cell with Jaebum sitting outside. Waiting and watching.

He spotted Jimin with a group of heavily tattooed guys that were eating up his every word. Tae couldn't hear exactly what the pink haired man was saying, but he could tell from the other guys' faces and the playful smirk present on the younger’s lip that the conversation was one of the flirtatious variety.

Jungkook, however, he never saw at meals. It worried Taehyung so a certain extent, but Jungkook seemed to be getting on fine in the prison so Tae chose not to dwell on it.

Taehyung did occupy his mind with the fact that Jaebum hadn't followed him to the canteen, and Tae didn't see him anywhere. He wasn't sure what motives Jaebum had for following him, therefore he wasn't sure how to react to the absence of his presence.

This state of limbo left him terrified. His eyes darted around the room waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone to make a move. There was nothing for his hectic mind to latch onto in the relatively quiet room.

Suddenly, he heard a loud shout from the table Jimin was at that grabbed Taehyung’s attention. He looked over quickly and saw the younger being pulled close by one of the biggest guys while the others complained about “special attention”.

Taehyung didn't care to hear anymore so he turned back around and nearly fell out of his seat when he noticed who had sat in front of him. Tae quickly collected himself and started to stand from the table when a rough hand grabbed his thin wrist.

“Don’t.” Namjoon’s low voice bellowed through the hall even though he hadn’t raised his voice. All eyes were on Taehyung. Including the blue-haired man’s surprisingly wavering ones. Namjoon looked down at where his hand was clamped around Taehyung’s shaking hand and he quickly released his grip, bringing his hand back down to rest at his side.

Tae still didn’t move. Namjoon looked down at his lap, momentarily looking like a guilty child before he lifted his gaze to meet Tae’s once again.

“Please...don’t run away from me.” The taller man pleaded. Tae didn’t know why he sat down. He just did. He was stiff as a board as he sat across from the person he feared most in the whole prison. Namjoon looked around at the staring inmates, before looking back at Taehyung and frowning.

“Listen, I… I’m sorry.” Namjoon finally broke the silence and said.

Taehyung's left eye twitched at this. He didn’t know how to respond so he took in five heavy breaths before just letting the words fall from his lips.

“You’re sorry? You’re fucking sorry?” He asked with a forced laugh that quickly turned into sobs that rung through the cafeteria. All of the emotions he felt for the older man spilled out for everyone in the room to see. Namjoon looked around once more at the audience they had attracted, before reaching out and attempting to brush away one of Tae’s tears. However, Taehyung swiftly smacked his hand away.

“Get the fuck away from me, asshole.” Tae demanded as he stood from the table. Namjoon almost looked embarrassed as he looked once again around at the onlookers.”What?” Tae asked grabbing the elders attention. “Are you embarrassed?” He asked accusingly with venom in his words.

Namjoon was visibly getting more and more angry. “Are you embarrassed because of what you did, or because you couldn’t finish the job, you sack of shit?” Taehyung hissed. Where the confidence was coming from, he couldn’t tell but it felt good.

Namjoon’s chair fell backwards from the force of him standing so quickly. He walked around to Taehyung’s side of the table and grabbed the younger’s shoulder dragging him into the center walkway that led out of the cafeteria.

“You little shit, you need to learn your fucking place.” he said loud enough for everyone to hear as he dragged Taehyung once again out of the canteen and towards their cells. Once they were out of sight from the others, Namjoon let go of Tae’s shoulder and lost his angered expression.

Tae was crying hard. No power, no anger, no fight left in him. A few moments passed before Namjoon spoke.

“You’re really this scared of me?” he asked sadly.

“How could I not be.” Tae responded, as more of a statement than a question.

Namjoon looked down at the ground as his fists clenched. Taehyung closed his eyes and turned away, bracing himself for a hit that never came. He slowly opened them and looked at the elder’s saddened expression.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Taehyung.” Namjoon said.

“You already have. What’s stopping you from doing it again?” Tae stumbled over his words through the harsh sobs.

“I was trying to help.” Namjoon tried to explain.

“By raping me?” Taehyung berated him, still crying.

“I wasn’t going to-” Namjoon started.

“You weren’t going to what?” Taehyung asked, breathing heavily through his tears.

A stiff silence passed between the two. “I was trying to protect you…” Namjoon finally breathed, reaching out to run his calloused fingers over the already forming bruise on Taehyung’s neck.

“They always talk about it...what they’re going to do to you.” Namjoon spoke slowly. “They talk about how they’re gonna mark you. How they’re gonna claim you as theirs. They’re always watching and I thought if they saw me with you... If they thought you were mine, then maybe they wouldn’t hurt you.” His voice faltered.

Taehyung cried harder, the sincerity in Namjoon’s words almost making his pain worse.

Suddenly familiar giggles could be heard from down the hall. “I’ll see you boys later.” The pep filled, high pitched voice called into the dining hall before closing the double doors. Jimin's footsteps got closer and closer to the pair until he was standing in front of the two, looking between them. “Namjoon, I suggest you leave.” he said, still all smiles.

“I’m not going any-” Jimin cut the tall man off, his expression changing significantly.

“Get the fuck out before I spill all your dirty little secrets to this entire prison, Dick.” he said flatly.

Namjoon looked between Tae and Jimin before slowly walking away. Jimin quickly turned his attention to the crying boy to his right and wrapped two comforting arms around the other’s broader shoulders.

“I’m sorry, babe. I should have gotten out here sooner.” he said quietly, petting Taehyung’s hair. “The boys were just being a little extra handsy today.” he said more to himself than to Tae. The brunette cried harder into the crook of Jimin’s neck.

“Hey...Look at me.” Jimin directed softly. Taehyung leaned back and looked into Jimin’s kind eyes. “Stop crying, babe. We’re too pretty to cry.” Jimin said sweetly, wiping away the quickly falling tears from Tae’s cheeks. He then started leaving soft kisses all over Tae’s tear-stained face. Jimin pulled away smiling.

“Thank you, Jimin.” Taehyung sniffled.

“No problem. Do you want me to bring you to Hoseok?” Jimin asked.

“I think that would just make things worse.” Taehyung said, a hopeless feeling washing over the two.

“You’re probably right…” Jimin responded. “Why don't you go back to your cell and I’ll keep an eye on Namjoon?”

Taehyung wasn’t sure how he felt about the proposition, given what Namjoon had told him. However, his mind was glazed over with the itch of never being alone, so he nodded quickly. After a quick hug, the two parted ways.

Taehyung almost smiled as he walked away until he heard footsteps behind him. He looked back and saw Jaebum once again, following his every move. Somehow the older man's presence made Tae feel more secure, so he didn't let his mind drift to the possibility that Namjoon had lied.

•°●☆

The following day brought with it the familiar nerves that always surfaced when Taehyung was expected to shower. Jaebum was still trailing him, but he didn't follow the younger into the showers which left Tae with even more stress weighing down on his shoulders.

However, when Taehyung joined the line mere moments passed before Namjoon took the spot behind him. Tae visibly exhaled as the elder placed his large hand lightly on the small of his back.

“You don't have to worry about the showers anymore, they know not to touch you.” Namjoon said so only Taehyung could hear. Namjoon let his hand fall back to his side as they walked into the area with the showers. They both undressed and stepped into their individual stalls.

Taehyung controlled the urge to glance at Namjoon's tattooed body, but the blue-haired man’s gaze was immediately drawn once again to the mark on Tae’s neck. There was a stark contrast between the bruised skin and the rest of Taehyung’s sun-kissed, but pale skin.

In most ways, the mark looked completely out of place, but Namjoon couldn't help but like the way it looked on him. He hated himself for it.

Taehyung met Namjoon's eyes for only a moment before both of them looked away, embarrassed.

Though, the younger soon found his eyes drawn back to the elegantly inked marks covering the expanse of the other man’s torso and arms; immediately becoming curious. Before he could stop himself, his hand reached out and began to trace the outline of roses going down Namjoon’s shoulder.

Said man turned to look over his shoulder at the other boy, whose face paled as he realized what he had done. He retracted his hand and turned back to his shower head, trying to ignore the dark chuckle he heard from the blue-haired man’s shower.

“I...I was just curious, I'm sorry.” Taehyung stuttered.

“You've seen tattoos before, right?” Namjoon asked.

“Never up close.” Taehyung sheepishly admitted.

“You can touch them if you want.” Namjoon offered, smirking slightly.

As much as Taehyung didn't want to indulge in himself, he couldn’t resist. Staring at the other’s chest, he let his hands run up and down the tattooed lotus extending from his stomach to his chest. Then, to the two mysterious dates in looped writing on his collarbones.

After a moment of silence, Tae couldn’t help but ask.

“What do they mean?”

He looked up, realizing that the elder had been watching his every movement with intrigued eyes.

“Which one?”

“The dates.” Tae answered, looking back down at the numbers that lined the edges of his sharp collarbones.

There was a moment of silence from Namjoon before he turned away, disconnecting Taehyung’s hand from his chest and grabbing his towel and wrapping it around his waist.

Tae didn’t know what it was about the man that made him feel the way he did. He sensed that he had crossed a line, and despite everything, he wanted to apologize to him. Upon realizing this, he felt subtle anger building in him. Namjoon had no right to be aggravated at him. He had allowed him to look at his tattoos. It wasn’t fair.

The younger boy pouted in annoyance and turned from the other man, ignoring him and continuing his shower. Only sparing him a glance when he left the shower room, as the familiar dread filled his stomach. He felt eyes on him again. More eyes than there should be. You don't have to worry about the showers anymore, they know not to touch you. Namjoon’s voice echoed in his head, and he let relief grace his features as he closed his eyes and finished washing the soap from his hair.

•°●☆

Compared to the last couple months of his life, the last week in the prison had felt almost normal. Despite Jaebum’s shadow being around just about as much as his own, everything had felt calm.

He hadn’t spoken to Namjoon since the shower incident, and he had been able to see Jungkook in the short time they get to stay in the courtyard every day. He even got to talk to Jimin on laundry duty.

People thinking he was close with Namjoon definitely had some perks; like no one being able to say anything when he cut to the front of the line for lunch. Though, it did make him quite lonely. He would sit and eat his lunch in silence as the other inmates avoided him like the plague.

Until a certain oddly cheerful brunette joined him one day. He took a seat across from Tae and just started eating. Taehyung looked up at him and frowned in confusion. “Umm...who are you?” He wondered aloud.

“Youngjae.” The boy responded, with his mouth a bit too full. “Sorry if I startled you. It looked like you needed some company.” He continued after scarfing down his food and wiggling his eyebrows.

Taehyung's face flushed red when the other boy wrapped an arm around him and let out a laugh that seemed to light up the whole room.

“Now I know why Namjoon wants you. You're cute.”

There was a moment of awkward silence after that.

"Are you...?" Tae trailed off, a bit embarrassed by his question. Youngjae laughed again.

"A prostitute? No. I just know how to get what I want from most people." He cooed teasingly and pulled his arm from Tae's shoulders, before continuing more seriously. "And luckily for you, there's something we both want."

Taehyung eyed him suspiciously before asking, “What would that be?”

“You see, Jaebum over there, he's my boyfriend. He's also Namjoon’s right-hand man.” Youngjae whined, “But with him having to watch you, I don't get to be around him as much. And I know you can't like having him loom over you all the time.”

Tae listened and hesitantly nodded. “So?”

“So,” the boy continued, “I can distract Jaebum and you can run off and have fun doing whatever you want for a little while.”

After glancing over at Jaebum leaning against the wall in the corner of the room, he turned back to Youngjae and nodded. Grinning mischievously, he got up and went over to Jaebum. Tae watched the two disappear through a doorway before quickly hopping up and scanning the area for Namjoon.

He knew it was now or never, so he took his opportunity. He walked out of the cafeteria as quickly as he could without turning heads and started to make his way to Hobi’s office.

When he found it, he didn't bother knocking and quickly opened the door, rushed in and closed it behind himself. He turned into the office and was met with Hoseok’s smiling face.

“In a hurry, I see.” He said from behind his desk.

“I was just trying not to get caught.” Taehyung explained.

“Yeah.” Hoseok’s tone lowered significantly. “Jimin told me about Namjoon’s little sidekick.”

“I'm really okay, though. No one's tried to mess with me.” Tae explained as Hoseok stood from his desk and met the inmate halfway for a hug.

“I’m glad, Tae. Really. I told you everything would blow over if you just laid low.” He said, arms wrapped firmly around Tae's waist. The brunette smiled into Hoseok’s shoulder at the use of the nickname. The moment didn't last long because Hobi pulled back to investigate the almost completely faded bruise on Taehyung’s neck.

“Hey, it's almost completely healed.” He said excitedly.

Tae looked down at his hands momentarily.

“I’m really not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.” He said quietly.

Hoseok furrowed his eyebrows, confused. “What do you mean by-?”

Shouts could be heard from the hall and they both stepped away from each other in fear. The door swung open and a livid Namjoon pushed his way into the room, not wasting any more time before grabbing Taehyung’s hand and attempting to pull the boy out of the room.

This felt different than the other times Tae had been manhandled by the elder. The other times Namjoon was rougher, but he was acting. This was real. “Let me go!” Tae shouted helplessly. Namjoon didn't listen.

Hoseok quickly caught up to them. “Let him go, Kim.” he said loudly. He still didn’t.

In one final attempt, Taehyung laced his fingers with the taller’s and squeezed. Namjoon stopped and turned back to the boy.

“Namjoon, please.” Taehyung pleaded. Namjoon’s hand quickly released Taehyung’s and he took a couple steps back taking in the look of fear etched into Tae’s face.

Before either man could say anything, Namjoon’s wrists were swiftly cuffed and he was dragged away by another guard. Tae stood in shock for a moment, until Hoseok’s office door was closed.

Then he felt himself in the guard’s embrace. Though for some reason, he found it getting less and less comforting as time went on.

Taehyung was still in stunned silence for a few moments before letting his head loll back onto Hobi’s shoulder and murmured, “What do I do?”

His eyes fluttered shut as he felt soft lips pressed lightly to his forehead, and then it was gone. The older man let go and paced over to his desk, looking through paperwork.

Taehyung turned around, opening his eyes and trailing behind in curiosity.  
He seemed to find what he was looking for, then looked up to the younger boy and smiling.

“I have an idea.”


	7. Tomorrow Comes Today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody's here with me  
> Got no camera to see  
> Don't think I'm not all in this world  
> The camera won't let me go  
> And the verdict doesn't love our soul
> 
> "Tomorrow Comes Today" by Gorillaz

 

Everybody's here with me  
Got no camera to see  
Don't think I'm not all in this world  
The camera won't let me go  
And the verdict doesn't love our soul

  


As much as Taehyung appreciated Hoseok’s attempt at helping the situation, the protective unit of the prison was nothing like what Tae had expected. Turns out, the place was simply solitary confinement where one is treated like a victim as opposed to a criminal for a week before being shoved back into the main population of the prison.

 

He wasn’t allowed to leave his cell for the whole week. During Hoseok’s visits within the first days of his solitude, Taehyung quickly came to realize that the guard had even more anxiety about Tae's safety than the younger knew.

 

The isolation wasn't so bad when Hoseok was there. But whenever he left, things went from bad to worse. The lack of attention and burning eyes on him was nice, but the silence left him with way too much time to think.

 

His mind kept going back to what Jungkook had said to him.

 

_I don't think you understand the ramifications of what Namjoon did back there. Things are changing, Tae, and you're at the center of it all._

 

He didn't understand. He didn't know if he wanted to. The thought scared him as he began to realize just how much he didn't know. He knew Namjoon was powerful. The way he carried himself was proof enough of this, even if you didn't catch how all the other prisoners cowered whenever he came near.

 

But so what? What did he do to attract this much attention from the older male, and what did it mean for him in the scheme of things? He guessed he would find out after he returned.

 

  * °●☆



 

His week in the protective unit eventually came to a close. Feeling more nervous than ever to leave, he stood in the bathroom and simply stared at his reflection in the mirror. He stared long and hard until his eyes glazed over with a soft, distracted focus while his mind reeled.

 

Taking a few hard blinks to pull out of his head, he looked over himself one more time and made an unexpected observation, with an even more unexpected reaction. The mark from Namjoon had completely faded, leaving his tan skin unblemished. It left his neck totally pure; he felt his heart constrict a bit. He wasn't quite sure what he felt, but for some reason he noticed his thoughts catching on one word.

 

_Pure._

 

Was he really? There wasn't a day he could keep himself from thinking back to his encounters with Namjoon. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw him. He felt him. His dark eyes, his tattoos, the expression on his face when he stormed into Hoseok’s office.

 

He radiated dominance. He was dangerous. Taehyung knew that. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to care. He found himself craving it: the thought that he was wanted by someone like that; he would be protected by someone like that.

 

At first, he kept coming back to the fact that he may be lying, but whenever he recalled the emotion Namjoon displayed, he had no doubt in his mind.

 

Namjoon wanted him. Maybe even needed him. This idea exhilarated Taehyung. His stomach felt like it had tied itself up. He was sort of in a trance, unable to identify his feelings. Telling himself it was the nervousness from returning to the prison, he splashed some cold water on his face to come back down to Earth. He then stepped out of the bathroom, to find that Hoseok had been waiting for him outside with an anxious look on his face.

 

“You know, I was thinking and I'm sure I could pull some strings and get you an extra week or two in here.” He suggested.

 

Tae let out a tired laugh. “You know how much I hate it here, Hoseok.” He replied.

 

“I know. I know. I just don't think it's safe yet.” Hoseok responded, with much trepidation.

 

“It's a prison, when is it ever going to be safe?” Tae asked. “Besides, I have you and Jimin looking out for me and after Namjoon’s display, I doubt anyone will bother me.” Tae added.

 

Hoseok rose one eyebrow slightly and let out a bitter scoff. “Namjoon’s the one I'm worried about, Tae. I didn’t trust him before, and after his outburst, I especially don’t trust him now.”

 

“You don't need to worry about him.” Taehyung shot back.

 

“What's gotten into you today?” Hoseok asked, eyebrows furrowed.

 

Tae sighed. “I'm sorry, I'm just a little on edge is all. I know you're just trying to help.” The younger backtracked, looking down.

 

Hoseok smiled sadly, reaching over to rub Tae’s arm soothingly. “It’s okay, I get it.” He spoke softly, sweetly. “Just promise me you'll be careful.”

 

“I will, don't worry about it.” He uttered half-heartedly.

 

Between the slightly uncomfortable exchange and the protective way Hoseok stayed by his side the entire way back to Taehyung’s cell, the younger boy wanted nothing more than to just get back to his new normal in the prison. With a few more empty promises of caution, Taehyung was able to sate Hoseok’s worry enough for him to leave the cell.

 

As soon as he does, Taehyung’s eyes wander to the cell across from his. It’s empty. Stepping out of his cell and walking down the corridor, he checked the digital clock adorning the wall. The red numbers read 12:06. It was still lunchtime.

 

After he made his way to the canteen, his eyes scanned the large room bustling with activity. He immediately tried to find someone, anyone, that he would be safe sitting with. The only two who came to mind were Jimin and Jungkook. Admittedly, it wasn’t that hard to spot Jimin. His head of cotton candy definitely helped. But when he saw that he was surrounded by the usual thugs, he decided against it.

 

Jungkook, on the other hand, was a sneaky kid. He went with a camouflage tactic. Out of sight, out of mind. He was always off hiding somewhere, seemingly never interacting with anyone else. Except for today. He was sitting at an empty table across from a blank-faced, gray-haired boy.

 

From where Taehyung was, he could tell that they were talking to one another, but couldn’t quite tell what they were saying. He began to walk towards them and had opened his mouth to say something, right as Jungkook stood from his seat, and stomped out of the room. Mouth hanging open a bit, he quickly sat where Jungkook had been, snapped his jaw shut and angled his face down, to avoid anyone noticing him more than they already had.

 

After a few moments of silence, he felt the attention shift back away from the table, except for one scalding pair of eyes, boring into him from across the table.

 

“Who the fuck are you?” The stranger questioned, clearly unamused by Taehyung’s presence.

 

Tae lifted his gaze slowly from the table to meet the half-lidded eyes of the other. “T-Taehyung.” Tae stuttered, reverting back to a state of constant nerves.

 

The gray-haired boy rolled his eyes slightly. “Well, Taehyung, why the fuck are you sitting at my table?” He demanded.

 

Taehyung didn’t know what came over him in that moment. All he knew is that the only thought he had in that moment is that he was done. He was done with the way people had been treating him. He was done with the looks people gave him: out of want or of pity.

 

He scoffed and rose a questioning eyebrow. “Your table? I don't see a name on it.” Tae challenged, looking the other up and down in an evaluating fashion. The gray-haired guy was shorter and skinnier than Tae, so why should he be afraid of him?

 

“Oh? Well, goddamn.” He leaned forward and whispered, his husky voice full of vehement hostility. “How about if I write ‘Min Yoongi’s Table’ with your blood, then? Would you like that?”

 

Taehyung narrowed his eyes and stared straight at him, matching his tone. “Try me.”

 

For a moment, they sat unmoving, the tension bristling between the two. Their eyes stayed locked for who knows how long before Yoongi stood, went to dump his tray and stormed out of the room.

 

Taehyung was astonished. He had to pause and question himself, continuously running over the interaction, trying to figure out whether or not it was real. _I just...stood up for myself?_

 

He was caught between two opposing, simultaneous thoughts: _That was amazing!_ , and _What the hell was that?!_

 

After another moment of organizing his thoughts, he glanced around, discovering people were deliberately avoiding eye contact with him. He couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction. He turned his attention back to his food and finished eating, feeling smug.

 

He took his time going to the trash to dump his tray, letting his walking pattern smooth into more of a strut. He was ecstatic. Donning a complacent grin, he looked over to Jimin, who gave him a nod of approval with his own impish smirk.

 

He walked out and went back to his cell and laid down, lounging and staring at the ceiling. _They're scared._ He had realized this much at this point. _But who wouldn't be after the scenes Namjoon had been making?_

 

 _Me. That's who_. He thought. _I should be terrified of him. But I'm not._

 

He felt like he knew Namjoon more than anyone else; he felt like he had known him his whole life. He wouldn't hurt him, not any more than he had to to keep up his reputation. Taehyung knew it had to be upheld, because without it they would both be in danger.

 

Tae would admit that he knew less than he was comfortable with, but he had seen the superhero movies. The same thing always happened. The bad guy would discover that the hero had a lover or friend that they had a soft spot for, and that person would get kidnapped and threatened. Then, the hero would have to go and rescue them from what seemed like such an obvious trap.

 

He couldn't help but laugh at the analogy he had made. _Does that make Namjoon the hero?_ He thought on this for a moment, then shook the thought from his head. _Either way, I won't be a damsel in distress._

 

Taehyung knew that to prevent this from happening, Namjoon wouldn't let himself truly care for him, and he would make that crystal clear to everyone else. _A plaything, and nothing else. No feelings are involved._ That's what they each told themselves, at least.

 

The younger had already made an impact in the prison, and he knew he had to continue to do so. He had to make sure that he could survive even without Namjoon because, at this point, he didn't know what would happen once the turquoise-haired man returned. After the break-in to Hoseok's office, who knew? He could very well toss him aside with no remorse and let him be left to the mercy, or rather lack thereof, of the other inmates.

 

Though, deep down, he felt that wouldn't be the case. Namjoon had some strange connection with him. Taehyung had observed him letting his guard down around him, even just for brief moments.

 

 _I can use that._ He began to think. He knew if Namjoon trusted him and cared for him, he could stay safe. He had to play it right. But he also had to be able to take care of himself for times like these, when Namjoon wasn't with him. The fact that everyone already associated him with Namjoon made this easier, he just had to play it up, like Hoseok had tried to help him do his first day. Sighing deeply, he got up and went to check the time.

 

 _Perfect._ He and Jimin had laundry duty, and he could talk the other boy through his plan and get some advice.

 

He walked to the laundry room, relishing in the immediate reaction everyone had upon seeing him. They all tried to act as if he didn’t exist, acting as if they had no interest in him. He couldn’t help but feel immense pride as these huge, horrible men all acted like anxious children when he came near them. This was the power Namjoon had. He felt the adopted power running through him, and it was like a drug: a drug he was quickly becoming addicted to, without quite grasping the hold it already had on him.

 

When he got to his destination, he went to Jimin and they hugged each other for a moment before letting go and chattering like housewives.

 

“You really think this is a good idea, baby?” The pink-haired boy questioned, giving Taehyung’s hair a comforting stroke.

 

The former was fairly surprised by the smaller boy’s hesitation. “Of course. It works for you, doesn’t it? It doesn’t seem to hard to trick those morons.”

 

Jimin inspected him with a blank face for a moment, before displaying some sort of anguished emotion Taehyung couldn’t quite classify. “Taehyung, listen to me. I don’t want you to get stuck in a situation like the one I’m in. It’s not fun, or easy. And Namjoon is a lot smarter than the assholes I hang around. I want you to be safe, but this isn’t a great way to do it. You’re going to get yourself hurt.”

 

“He’s not going to hurt me, unless you count the occasional hickey as an injury.” He tried to tone down the intensity of the conversation by making a joke, but this just seemed to worsen Jimin’s melancholy expression.

 

“That...that’s not what I’m worried about.” He mumbled, grabbing Tae’s hands and continuing with a shaky voice. “Listen. You don’t know what men like Namjoon are capable of. I promise you don’t know what you’re getting into.” He paused for a second. “I don’t want him to ruin you.” He spoke in a distressed whisper and tightened his grip on the other’s hands.

 

It rattled Taehyung to the core.

 

Only at this point did he realize that Jimin wasn’t just fretting over him for no reason. He was speaking from experience. He instantly felt horrible, and thought about what he had said. He wondered how much Jimin had thought about what he had said; he wondered how much he must wish he could’ve told himself that.

 

Then, he saw Jimin differently. He saw him as he was. A frail boy who had grown up too soon. Briefly, he even wondered how old Jimin actually was. He was maybe a few months older than Tae, who was just barely an adult. And it was clear to Taehyung that he had been in his line of business for quite a long time.

 

He was silent for a moment before he hugged Jimin and held onto him as he felt the other boy’s labored breaths slowed back down to a normal pace.

 

He let go then gave the boy a quick peck on the forehead and gave him a small, comforting smile. “Okay. I got it.” The small boy gave him a slight nod and turned back to the laundry.

 

The rest of the day flew. Not once did he leave Jimin’s side, let go of the grip on his hand, or cease the soft rub his thumb on the side of the other boy’s palm.

 

Taehyung had no problem falling asleep that night while he was cuddling with Jimin, and for the first time in a long time, he felt like he wasn’t alone.

 

  * °●☆



 

When he woke the next morning, he wasn't surprised to find that he was alone in his bed. As soon as he got up and rubbed his eyes, he looked across the hall to the cell opposite his, quickly finding it was no longer empty. Namjoon was lying in his bed, facing the wall. Taehyung looked up and down the turquoise-haired man. He felt some sort of strange relief, seeing him back.

 

His heart did a somersault as the elder sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He and Namjoon locked eyes for just a moment before the older broke the contact with a sullen, downcast gaze.

 

And for the first time since his return, Taehyung’s confidence felt like it was faltering. He opened his mouth to say something, then quickly decided against it, closing his mouth. He put his hands on the bars of his cell and clutched them as he continued to stare at Namjoon, silently begging him to look back.

 

He let go of the bars as the harsh tone sounded, telling them that they would soon slide open. As soon as they did, Namjoon stood and darted out of his cell. Taehyung rushed to try and catch up, grabbed his hand and yanked him to a stop.

 

“Namjoon.” His voice finally worked, but just barely. It was a soft murmur, meant only for him. He felt the taller man become tense as Taehyung softened his hold and studied Namjoon’s face as he turned to him.

 

For a moment, everything was alright. A slight smile had begun to adorn Tae’s face, as he glanced up. His eyes traveled from their conjoined hands, and up Namjoon’s arm to the gorgeous inked roses peeking out from under his sleeve. He continued up his shoulder and to his face, pausing at his lips before looking into his eyes.

 

Taehyung’s heart had never plummeted so quickly.


	8. Fool For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you're looking like this  
> I just can't resist it  
> I know sometimes I hide it  
> But I can't this time 'cause it's gonna defeat me
> 
> "fOoL fOr YoU" by Zayn Malik

When you're looking like this   
I just can't resist it   
I know sometimes I hide it   
But I can't this time 'cause it's gonna defeat me

 

His entire mouth went dry in an instant as he saw nothingness. Where he usually saw Namjoon’s powerful darkness, he now saw only uncertainty and emptiness. He stood transfixed. He searched intently. Seeking something. Anything, that could give him an indication of how he felt. 

 

But all Taehyung could discern was his own reflection.

 

Namjoon quickly retracted his hand from the smaller boy’s startled, loosened grip and rushed off. All of the sudden, Taehyung felt small. Miniscule. Unimportant. He hurt, for a reason he couldn’t fathom. 

 

Maybe it was the absence of the other that had somehow made him expect something different. When he thought about Namjoon returning, he imagined only the fire he had experienced before from the man. He craved it. 

 

He wanted to smack himself once he realized what he was thinking.  _ Fire? The guy broke into a guard's office because of some sick obsession. That's not fire, that's insanity.  _ But then...why? Why did he want it? And why was Namjoon running away from him, and not the other way around?

 

And in a moment, all of Taehyung’s fears came crashing back down onto him. Was this Namjoon tossing him aside? Did he push him too far by sneaking to see Hoseok? What would he do if that was the case? He would be in danger again. 

 

He started to struggle, to gasp for air. In his panic, he took in rapid breaths, but they couldn’t go down past the lump in his throat. His legs crumpled and he fell, pressing his palms flat against the cool floor. His head lolled down; he didn’t realize he was crying until the lukewarm droplets dripped onto his hands. The contrast brought him back to Earth, and he managed to sit up onto his knees and take slower, deeper breaths. 

 

He sat staring into space for a moment, letting his tears run out before he wiped his face and stood.

 

He began to absentmindedly walk as he thought back to his interaction with Jimin when a thought came crashing into his head that made him stop in his tracks.  _ I’m not as strong as him. _

 

Compared to Jimin, who was a beautiful, delicate rose with thorns to protect him, Taehyung was just a plain old daisy. He thought on how much he admired Jimin and how he handled himself despite everything he had been through. Taehyung wasn’t nearly as emotionally strong as Jimin was, and he knew that. He knew he wouldn’t last on his own. It was far too late to keep a low profile, he couldn’t do what Jimin did, and he didn’t have the brute strength most of the other men had. He needed Namjoon. 

 

  * °●☆



 

Taehyung would regret what he was going to try and do. He knew he would. But he couldn’t bring himself to care. He didn’t give a fuck, not when it had been more than a week of Namjoon avoiding him like the plague. It had been a week since he acknowledged him; it had been a week since he looked at him at all. 

 

Tae had tried almost everything. He sat with him at meals, only for him to immediately move. He went to him in the courtyard and tried to talk to him before Jimin would pull him away to talk to him, or Jaebum  ~~ passive aggressively ~~ politely escorted him away.

 

He hadn’t been the only one to notice this, either. Some of the other inmates had been giving him the side-eye, and Taehyung had more than noticed it. He decided to use it. He could determine whether or not Namjoon was really disinterested in him already. He could reignite that fire.

 

Upon his approach to the shower, he took a deep breath, slightly ashamed of what he was about to do. Though, he knew it would be worth it if it worked. Walking in, he scanned the room before eying the empty shower next to Namjoon. He went in and stripped slowly, working to pay no attention to the older boy as he did so. He glanced around, making sure he had at least a small audience before he continued. 

 

He twisted the knob to turn on the showerhead and turned so his back to it. Tae tilted his head back slightly and ran his hands slowly through his hair, letting out not-so-quiet, satisfied breaths as he did so. After he finished wetting his hair, he continued his little show as more people glanced over to watch. Fewer and fewer of them glanced worriedly at Namjoon before doing so. He kept on until after Namjoon left, his eyes a little sharper as he glanced around. He tried not to smirk.  _ It’s working. _

 

  * °●☆



 

Taehyung would be impressed by Namjoon’s self-control if he wasn’t so pissed off about it. Much to the chagrin of his pink-haired friend, he had been flirting with many of the men Namjoon would sometimes hang around in the courtyard or at meals. Specifically, a scarlet-haired Thai boy with big lips and smooth skin who, apparently, really liked to push his luck. 

 

As much as he hated being touched by someone who wasn’t Namjoon, Jimin, or Hoseok, he made himself stand it for the time being. He occasionally leaned close to whisper something into the ear of the redhead, BamBam, he heard him called before. He ate it up, and Namjoon simply wouldn’t respond. The only one who seemed to be paying any attention to them was a tall boy with black hair who, he had noticed, was almost always around BamBam. 

 

Until the moment when BamBam leaned in to say something to him, but lingered around his neck for a moment too long and brushed his lips over the expanse of skin on his neck underneath his ear. Tae jumped as he heard a slam against the table. The black-haired boy had slammed his hands on the table and walked off. 

 

“Hey, Yugyeom!” BamBam called, quickly jumping to his feet and following him.

 

Tae, however, sat in stunned silence. For a moment, he wondered what he was imposing on, but decided it probably wasn't any of his business. 

 

After a few minutes, BamBam came back and reclaimed his seat next to Taehyung. Immediately, Tae went back to work. He continued his stream of meaningless, surface-level compliments before moving on to physical contact. He traced down his arm and let his hand linger on the boy’s shoulder, trying to shove down his thought that he wasn’t as muscular as Namjoon. 

 

He began to get lost in thought for a moment, until he felt a hand grab at his ass. He let out a sort of surprised squeak and lightly batted away BamBam’s hand.

 

“Don’t do things like that in front of everyone. It’s embarrassing!” He exclaimed, cheeks tinged a light pink, though it was hardly noticeable over the tan of his skin.

 

The other boy hummed indignantly in response and leaned in closer to Taehyung’s face. “So, you'd be alright with it somewhere a bit more private?” He asked in a low, far too intimate voice. For a moment, Taehyung could almost have imagined it was Namjoon. 

 

He tilted his head, letting out a barely audible whisper and letting his eyes flicker to the other boy’s plump lips while instinctively licking his own slightly dry and cracked ones.

 

“Maybe.”

 

The reaction was immediate, but Taehyung didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. Jaebum was on his feet, yelling at BamBam to leave as Namjoon had stood and looked at him.

 

_ That's it. _ He looked at him, and he felt it before he even returned his eye contact. It reminded him of cooking: that blast of heat you get as you open an oven. It was uncomfortable and overwhelming. There was shouting and urgency.

 

But as he raised his eyes to meet Namjoon’s, the room went silent. This was it. It was what he was waiting for. He felt the heat on his face. The anger rolled off of Namjoon in waves, like the sun off the hot asphalt in the summer. 

 

The entire room sat still, hanging off the edges of their seats. They were watching, and waiting. Taehyung slowly stood, never breaking eye contact with Namjoon. His heart was racing. He felt like he was trying to approach and calm a wild animal. Taking a deep breath, he told himself that this is what he had to do. He could get Namjoon to come back to him; to need him.  _ I can get him to love me. _

 

Hesitancy being a distant memory, Tae lifted one of his arms and held it out to him. 

 

He saw his reaction in almost slow motion. His eyes snapped from Taehyung’s eyes down to the hand outstretched towards him and let out an angry, almost inhuman growl and left.

 

And Taehyung was just that. Left. 

 

The boy had never felt an emptiness like this. He felt as if everything he had done was in vain, and Namjoon just hated him. Trying his hardest not to burst into tears, he ran after the older as quickly as his feet could carry him.

 

As soon as he caught up, he desperately threw himself around Namjoon. The older responded in no time, pushing him off. Taehyung at this point, couldn't think straight. He hugged himself to Namjoon’s chest and gripped onto him like his life depended on it. 

 

The taller boy let out another growl deep in his throat as he turned and shoved Taehyung to the wall, pinning him to it. 

 

“Is this what you wanted? It is, right? You wanted attention?” He all but hissed at the other boy, who currently seemed smaller than Namjoon remembered.

 

Taehyung tried to respond coherently, but all he could muster was a whine as his tears continued to gather.

 

“Is my attention acceptable, or does it have to be that horny little dick BamBam’s?”

 

Taehyung shook his head, totally out of it and not sure how to answer.

 

Namjoon gripped Tae’s jaw and put his face close enough so he could feel the hot and shaky breaths the brunette took.

 

“Well?! Answer me!” He demanded, tightening his hold slightly.

 

Taehyung could do nothing but let out a pathetic whimper as his jaw began to ache.

 

“I was scared!” He finally blurts out. “I thought you were going to leave me or that you hated me!” He continues, his voice eventually cracking and going hoarse from crying.

 

Namjoon slowly lets go, letting out an almost sardonic chuckle. “Scared? Bullshit. You seemed perfectly happy cuddling up with Hoseok and BamBam.”

 

Taehyung was filled with despair when Namjoon took a step back as if he was going to leave. He instantly reached out and pawed at his shirt, grabbing it and tugging lightly in a fraught attempt to get him to stay. 

 

“No.” He quickly spat out.

 

Namjoon paused, glancing down at Taehyung’s hand desperately holding onto him. He slowly looked back up to Tae.

 

“No?” He echoed. “No, what?”

 

This seemed to give the brunette a bit of courage as he strengthened his grip on the turquoise-haired man’s shirt and pulled him closer to him. 

 

“You. I just want you.” 

 

Namjoon froze and he finally grasped the situation.

 

Taehyung was pinned between him and the wall, shaking and trembling from crying, but not giving up the weak grasp he had on his shirt in some feeble attempt to pull them closer.

 

Despite his anger, frustration and everything else, he let his resolve dissipate, and he pulled the brunette closer. 

 

And for a moment, Taehyung was alright. He thought everything was okay, that Namjoon had forgiven him and they would be fine again. Before he let go a few seconds later, shook his head and said defeatedly, “No. Not yet.” 

 

Again, Taehyung’s heart dropped and he stared at Namjoon. For once, the taller boy seemed to be struggling to speak.

 

“I...I promised myself.” He stammered out. “I promised that I wouldn't do anything to you. Not until you-” 

 

He didn't get the chance to finish as his lips were captured by Taehyung’s, and in the moment, everything was perfect. Namjoon's no longer hesitant hands found their rightful place on Tae’s hips and Tae wrapped his arms around the older’s neck.

 

Neither knew how long they kissed, nor when or why they stopped. But they both knew they didn't want to let go.


	9. Straight Into Your Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You keep me on track  
> I can't sleep 'til you come back home to me  
> Into my arms, baby  
> So let's make the best of what we have  
> Time is precious; it won't last  
> I see you and I get back
> 
> "Straight Into Your Arms" by Vance Joy

You keep me on track  
I can't sleep 'til you come back home to me  
Into my arms, baby  
So let's make the best of what we have  
Time is precious; it won't last  
I see you and I get back

 

As soon as the two boys parted, Taehyung looked into his eyes and smiled. He finally got through. He felt like he was seeing Namjoon for the first time. And in a sense, he was. He no longer saw his dark aura. He no longer got caught on his protective shell. He saw the faint glimmer of something new in Namjoon’s eyes. Something new and warm. 

 

Initially, Taehyung was incredulous. He never thought this could happen. But he slowly let himself be engulfed in the subtle warmth and happiness emanating from the older boy.  
  


 

  * °●☆



 

They spent much of the next week living for the small things. At first, it was all tentative kisses on cheeks and hands held under tables. Neither was too keen on being assertive with their affection in front of the general population of the prison, for various reasons. 

 

Though, Namjoon occasionally had to take precautions to keep Taehyung safe from the others. These often came in the form of dark hickies right above the line of the boy’s collar. They soon fell into a comfortable rhythm. 

 

Tae would sneak over to Namjoon’s room right before the door would slide shut for the night. He memorized the guard’s schedule and what time was the best to slip from his cell to Namjoon’s. 

 

As soon as he heard the receding footsteps of the guard, he slinked out of bed and went across the hall and into the turquoise-haired boy’s room right as the door clicked and slid shut. He smiled at the older boy before lying in the bed and curling up to him. He found his nerves calmed by the deep breathing of the other and his clean, soapy smell, letting his eyes flutter shut.  

 

  * °●☆



 

When he woke, the door hadn’t unlocked yet. He simply looked at Namjoon; his calm, almost content sleeping expression made Taehyung smile, despite himself. He let a finger glide softly over Namjoon’s face, wanting to memorize how he was in this moment. He trailed it all over, skimming his forehead and cheekbones, then hovering over his lips. His eyes always seemed to get caught up here. 

 

He didn’t realize Namjoon had woken up until his pale pink lips started to move. 

 

“Enjoying the view?” He chuckled at the now flustered Taehyung as he sat up and leaned over to kiss him. 

 

He returned the chaste kiss for a moment before leaning back when he heard the click and slide of the cell door opening. 

The corner of Namjoon’s mouth quirked up in a small smile upon hearing the soft growling of Taehyung’s empty stomach. The former blushed a little more at this and stood from Namjoon’s bed.

 

Following suit, Namjoon stood and grabbed the brunette’s hand before walking to the canteen. They continued their day like this, linked at the hip. Every time they could be with one another, they were. At meals, they sat next to each other and gave each other side glances and brushes over thighs. 

 

Everything seemed perfect.

 

They sat in the courtyard, Taehyung as close to Namjoon as physically possible, and Namjoon with an arm slung around his waist. Namjoon let his head lay on Taehyung’s shoulder and his face rested in the crook of his neck. The turquoise-haired boy’s hot breath against him tickled, and he let out a slight chuckle. 

 

For the first time in a long time, Taehyung felt safe and secure. Nothing had ever felt more right than Namjoon’s hands, lips, and breath on him. He let himself drift to a different place and didn’t realize that his environment had shifted, to another time he had thought he’d been safe.

 

  * °●☆



 

He was no longer with Namjoon, he had a different sense of warmth. He was happy sitting in the back seat, and singing along to a song on the radio. He stopped briefly to take a sip from the straw in his soda. His mother had gotten it for him since they were out late Christmas shopping. They were out looking for gifts for his siblings, Eonjin and Jeonggyu. 

 

He said something to her then. What it was, he couldn’t remember. But they made eye contact in the rearview mirror. Her smiling eyes made him smile even wider than he already was. He hummed happily as he turned to look through the full bags covering the seat next to him. Everything seemed perfect.

 

How was he to know that would be the last time he would see his mother?

 

The last thing he processed was horribly loud honk, the sound of tires screeching on the pavement, and a too-bright light heading towards their car from driver’s side.

 

He woke up after that, upside-down. He didn’t remember falling asleep. He only remembered the sound of metals screeching together and breaking glass, and getting nauseous as he was flipped and twisted around. He felt all of his blood had rushed to his head, and he still couldn’t think. 

 

He looked around and realized he was hanging from his seatbelt, and it was digging into his stomach and chafed across his chest. He was only fifteen and wasn’t quite tall enough to hit his head on the top as he was dangling from his seat. He glanced around, seeing that the other side of the car had been smashed in. The windows were broken, and the side was dented. 

 

What he didn’t see was his mother. He tried to speak, only for his voice to fail. He tried to maneuver his way out of the belt without falling and hitting his head, before unclipping it and twisting so he fell on his back.

 

The bags of toys for his little siblings, now mostly destroyed and covered in glass, broke his fall. He winced as he rolled over and crawled through the glass to get out of the car. 

 

He managed to stand and was immediately rushed by people running to him from an ambulance. They had him get down onto a stretcher and carried him off. He struggled a bit, trying to get free so he could look for his mother, but as he slowly lost his sense of reality. The lights flashed in his face and he blacked out again.

 

Taehyung hopped back and forth between the sounds and sights of his memories, getting a bit jumbled in his inundated state. 

 

_ There was a flip on impact. The driver’s side was T-boned.  _ It was repeated.  _ The kid was lucky, being buckled. He would’ve broken his neck.  _

 

He kept hearing,  _ She was dead on impact.  _ Again, and again.  _ Dead on impact.  _ It echoed in his head.  _ Dead. _

 

Until he woke up afterward, in a hospital bed, surrounded by his little brother and sister. They had red, misty eyes and clung to him as soon as he woke up. 

 

Taehyung didn’t talk to his father much after that. As a police officer, he wasn’t home much, but still made time to see his children and wife. After the accident, he seemed to always make sure he didn’t have any time with them.

 

For about a month, he didn’t see him. He took Christmas off but spent most of the time hidden away. He didn’t eat with them and briefly said Merry Christmas. A few days after, it was Taehyung’s birthday. He spent hours making dinner for everyone else the day, and his father had promised to be there for it. He wasn’t. But Taehyung waited. 

 

It was only when the small hand on the wall clock reached the twelve and Tae’s eyes drooped that the front door opened and shut. His eyes shot open and he went to follow his father, who was making a beeline to his room. 

 

“Dad!” He called and watched the man slowly come to a stop. Taehyung had planned to talk to him, to try and figure out why he had been doing this, and to try and make their lives somewhat normal again.

 

His father turned and looked at him, slowly. 

 

The now sixteen-year-old had opened his mouth to say something but felt it go bone dry as he looked at the middle-aged man. Neither had said anything, but the younger knew what was wrong. His father’s empty eyes said it all. 

 

_ It should have been you. _

 

And the worst part was, Taehyung didn’t disagree.

 

  * °●☆



 

When Taehyung came back to, he was no longer in the courtyard. He was sitting on the bed in Namjoon’s cell, and Namjoon was frantically shaking his shoulders. 

 

He felt like his throat had closed up and he couldn’t breathe. He was sobbing, and gasping for air. His eyes slowly regained focus and he hugged Namjoon as tightly he could, afraid to let go. He felt the older boy’s arms curl around him with the same intensity, and one of them soothingly rubbed his back in an attempt to relax him. 

 

Eventually, he calmed his breathing and let go of the other boy. 

 

Namjoon gently wiped the tears from Taehyung’s eyes.

 

“What happened?” The brunette queried, his voice hoarse from crying. 

 

“I could ask you the same thing. You just sort of...blacked out. You started crying and carrying on, so I took you in here.” He murmurs, putting his hand on the boy’s face and rubbing his cheek lightly with his thumb before continuing. “Are you alright, Taehyung?”

 

The smaller boy didn’t respond for a moment. 

 

“Yes. I am now.” 

 

Namjoon gave him one of his lopsided smiles before leaning in a bit to connect their foreheads and stare into Taehyung’s eyes for a moment before closing them and kissing him. 

 

Taehyung let his eyes flutter shut as well before returning the light kiss. After a moment, Namjoon pulled back and let a few hushed words escape. Words that shocked Taehyung. He couldn’t remember the last time these words had been spoken to him. These three, simple words. They changed everything.

 

“I love you.”


	10. Dreaming Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don’t lie, bright eyes  
> Is it me that you see when you fall asleep?  
> Cause I know it’s you I dream about every night  
> Giving me a feeling like  
> Love in the summer  
> Way I’ve never felt with another  
> Don’t lie, bright eyes  
> Is it me that you see?  
> Tell me I’m not dreaming alone
> 
> "Dreaming Alone" by Against the Current

Don’t lie, bright eyes

Is it me that you see when you fall asleep?

Cause I know it’s you I dream about every night

Giving me a feeling like

Love in the summer

Way I’ve never felt with another

Don’t lie, bright eyes

Is it me that you see?

Tell me I’m not dreaming alone

 

There were a few moments of silence.

 

The guard who had been standing in the dimly-lit corridor outside of the cell froze. He had gone to check up on Taehyung, only to find his cell empty. Then, this. His heart constricted. _Please. Please don't._ He silently begged, wanting nothing more than for Taehyung to somehow hear him.

 

“I love you too.” It was a quiet mumble between drowsy kisses, but it was enough to make Hoseok’s heart sink.

 

He paused for a moment, then turned on his heels and went back down the hallway and to his office. He went in and immediately closed behind him, turning towards it. He pressed his hands flat against it and let his forehead touch the cool metal door. He felt tears welling up and he willed them away with a sharp intake of breath.

 

“Hobi?” He heard a soft and familiar voice beckon him.

 

He jumped, a bit surprised, and turned to the pink-haired boy.

 

“Oh, Jimin. Are you alright? Why are you in here?” He worried, looking up and down the boy. He noticed too many bruises for his comfort.

 

“The guys got a little rowdy. They said I...I stepped out of line. Needed a reminder of who's in charge.” He stumbled over his words a bit and cast his gaze to the floor.

 

Right as Hoseok opened his mouth to say something about the obvious bruise forming on his cheek, Jimin quickly continued, lifting his eyes back up to meet the guard’s.

 

“But what about you? Are you alright? It looks like you were crying.”

 

Hoseok is silent for a moment.

 

“It’s nothing.” He quipped out.

 

“Hoseok. I know you too well for that.” He stepped towards him and placed a hand on his cheek, continuing to stare into his eyes for a moment before laying his head on his shoulder and planting a small kiss on his neck. “Please tell me.” He whispers.

 

“It’s Taehyung. I went to check on him.”

 

“And?”

 

“And...I saw him with Namjoon.” He lamented. “They said they loved each other.”

 

Jimin didn’t move for a moment, then looped his arms around the other boy. “I’m sorry, honey.”

 

“What is there to be sorry about? It’s his own decision. We tried to warn him against Namjoon. And there’s nothing we can do now.” It hurt Hoseok to say those words out loud.

 

“I know, you just liked him a lot, Hobi.” Jimin said with a pout.

 

 _I liked you a lot._ That's all Hoseok could think in the moment. Jimin took a step back, and let his hands slide down Hoseok’s chest, letting them rest there.

 

“You never know. We all have to do what we have to do to survive in here. Maybe he's just ensuring his safety.” Hoseok didn't believe this suggestion for a minute. Jimin hadn't seen the way they looked at each other. Jimin’s words did, however, bring a weak smile to his face.

 

He was reminded of how they first met. It was the first time Jimin was arrested for prostitution. He was young and scared, and the only thing his pimp had told him before being taken into custody was ‘make friends with the guards’.

 

He remembered how awkward Jimin was during their first meeting. He was obviously trying to flirt but he stuttered over every word before ending with, “Wanna fuck?... Honey?” Hobi burst into a fit of giggles for the first time since taking the job as a prison guard a month or two before. They’d been through a lot since then but the nickname stuck.

 

“You have such a pretty smile, honey. You should smile more.” Jimin said, smiling widely at the guard.

 

Hoseok blushed. Only Jimin had the power to make him blush like that. “Thanks, ChimChim.” Hoseok responded quietly.

 

Jimin’s eyes wavered from the older's, before refocusing and pulling him into a tight hug. They stood there momentarily before Jimin spoke.

 

“Can we cuddle for a bit?” As vague as the request might seem, they had been friends for so long that Hoseok knew exactly what that meant. Jimin only asked for cuddles when things got really bad, so Hoseok quickly agreed.

 

Jimin liked to be held during times like these, so Hoseok cleared the papers off the couch next to his desk and laid down on his back, opening his arms for Jimin to follow suit. Jimin crawled on top of the other and laid down, his pink hair fanning out across Hoseok’s chest.

 

Most people would find the scratchy cotton of the guards uniform to be uncomfortable, but Jimin never seemed to care when they laid like this, with his cheek pressed into the black fabric. Their legs became jumbled together and they both let out a sigh of content.

 

“I love you, Hobi.” Jimin mumbled.

 

Hobi chuckled lightly at the irony of the moment, but didn't hesitate before responding.

 

“I love you too, Chim.”

 

They knew that for now, no more words needed to be said. Nothing else could be said. The second they thought too hard, the moment would be gone. Right now all they needed was each other’s warmth.

 

  * °●☆



 

Jimin waited until the breathing of the other had slowed and his comforting grip had loosened. He placed Hoseok’s arms to the side and got up, staring blankly at him. The words replayed on an endless loop in his head.

 

_“I love you too, Chim.”_

 

He knew he was telling the truth. The guard was too loving. He felt like crying. But of course, no time for that. He'd been gone too long already.

 

He quietly let himself out of the room and quickly ducked into the nearest bathroom. He went to the sink and splashed water in his face, breathing deeply and squeezing his eyes shut while he gripped the edges of the sink, thoughts running rampant in the pink haired boy’s head.

 

He didn't hear the door open, he only felt the hand on his shoulder and waist, turning him around. Jimin kept his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable gross, dry lips to press against his own.

 

They never came.

 

Instead, he heard a concerned voice, and a gentle hand brushing some of his damp, pink locks from his face.

 

“Jimin? Are you okay?”

 

The boy opened his eyes to meet Jungkook’s warm brown ones, and smiled a bit.

 

Jungkook was the closest thing he had to a friend amongst the inmates, except for maybe Taehyung. Though, Jungkook kept a low profile and he hardly saw him. He let out a soft, relieved sigh and all but threw himself onto the younger. Jimin’s arms wrapped delicately around the brunette and planted a kiss onto his cheek, edging maybe a little too close to his lips.

 

“Thank goodness it's just you.” Jimin breathed into his ear.

 

“Just me?” Jungkook pretended to be hurt, chuckling, wrapping his arms around Jimin and playfully patting his ass.

 

Jimin rolled his eyes and pushed the other off. “I...I thought you were someone else.”

 

“I know.” They exchanged a knowing silence before Jungkook continued. “Almost everyone has cleared out of the cafeteria. Want to go eat with me?”

 

Jimin caught what he meant by almost everyone, and he paused before responding. “They're gone?”

 

Jungkook nodded and smiled. “So?”

 

Jimin laughed a bit for what felt like the first time in a while. “Sure, kid. It's a date.”

 

“Wow, and I don't even have to pay you?” Jungkook joked, trying to keep up the mood, but his face fell as Jimin froze and looked down, tugging at the hem of his shirt.

 

He immediately tried to rectify the situation. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean-”

 

“I know.” Jimin cut him off. “Let's just go.”

The two boys walked together in silence until they got to the cafeteria and got food, sitting down at an empty table near the edge of the room.

 

They ate, silent for a few minutes, until Jimin felt a hand rest on his leg. His eyes left his food to look at Jungkook. The younger boy was giving him a look like a kicked puppy. It made Jimin's heart squeeze, maybe a bit more than it should have.

 

“I'm sorry, Jimin-hyung…” He whispered.

 

“I know.” He responded, his voice too light. He shook his head. “I forgive you.”

 

Jungkook gave him an overjoyed, innocent smile, them went back to eating.

 

 _What the hell did this kid get arrested for, anyway?_ Jimin briefly wondered, looking back towards his tray, before he saw _him._

 

His dyed, silver hair was glinting under the harsh lights of the canteen, and his dark eyes were angled down towards the tray in front of him.

 

Jungkook had started talking again, but all Jimin could catch were jumbled-up words here and there as he stared at the boy sitting across the room.

 

The softness of his milky skin was evident even at the distance Jimin was from him. His rosy lips were a gorgeous contrast against the rest of his pale face and they curled down in a slight, resting pout as he scowled at seemingly nothing.

 

He was struck by not only his looks, but by the aura he radiated. It was overpowering. Jimin had noticed others in the room glancing nervously at him every so often, and despite looking like a porcelain doll, he seemed anything but delicate.

 

He wasn't covered in tattoos, or bulging muscles. He felt...different, somehow. Jimin was looking him up and down before their eyes met, and he froze. 

 

He had never felt such a powerful influence from someone, and this was someone he didn't know, from across a room. He made Jimin feel weak, with just one glance.

 

He was just casually dripping with seductiveness, without trying at all, and Jimin felt like he was getting sucked too deep into his gaze, until his eyes left him.

Jimin felt a tap on his shoulder, and only then was he shaken from his trance. He turned to the other boy.

 

“Who is that? The guy with gray hair.” Jimin questioned, before Jungkook could get a word in.

 

The brunette didn't look up from his tray, but Jimin felt him tense up.

 

“I don't know.”

 

Jimin raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “Why are you lying to me, Jungkook?”

 

Jungkook stood not soon after, gathering up his things. “I'm not.” He rattled off defensively. “Thanks for eating with me. I'm going now.” He grumbled before going to dump his tray and leave the canteen.

 

Jimin shook his head and checked the time. It was getting late, and the canteen would close soon. He stole one last glance at the silver-haired boy before going to his cell and settling down.


	11. Two Evils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m the lesser of two evils  
> Or am I, am I tricking myself nice?  
> If I’m the lesser of two evils  
> Who’s this man, who’s this act I hide behind?  
> "Two Evils" by Bastille

I’m the lesser of two evils

Or am I, am I tricking myself nice?

If I’m the lesser of two evils

Who’s this man, who’s this act I hide behind?

 

Taehyung woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, and almost relaxed for the first time in a while. He smiles and stands up, stretching and walking out of the cell. He leisurely walked to the canteen and got breakfast before going to sit next to Namjoon, who immediately looped an arm around his waist, possessively. He can't help but lean in a little closer to the older boy as he begins to eat.

 

After a few peaceful minutes, Taehyung notices Hoseok enter the room and he waves to him, smiling. Hoseok returns a small smile, glancing around and going over to sit in front of him at the almost-empty table.

 

“Morning, Taehyung. Feeling better?” Hoseok cooed, reaching over to ruffle his light brown hair. Tae nodded a bit in response.

 

Hoseok and Taehyung continued a pleasant conversation for a few minutes. Tae slowly became more comfortable, even cracking a few jokes. The guard’s wholehearted, real laugh warmed the brunette and distracted him from the very stiff Namjoon sitting next to him. He wouldn't take his hand with the tight grip from Tae’s thigh, nor his narrowed eyes from the guard.

 

“So, Taehyungie.” The guard started, putting his elbow on the table and letting his chin rest in his palm. “Did you ever think that within a month here, you'd be somebody’s prison bitch? It's pretty impressive.”

 

Taehyung paused, unsure how to respond. Namjoon, however, didn't hesitate. The first thing Tae noticed was the lack of a hand on his thigh. And when everything else unfolded, he couldn't do anything but sit still and stare in horror. Namjoon sprung to his feet and grabbed the guard by his hair and wrist. The hand in his hair swiftly brought his face cracking down on the table, and he twisted his wrist, yanking his arm behind his back and pinning it there. A sickening pop sounded throughout the room, and it fell silent.

 

“The fuck did you just say?” He let out a harsh whisper. Hoseok groaned in pain. “Say it again...I dare you.” Namjoon continued, holding the guard’s arm out of place. Jaebum and another one of Namjoon’s men, the brown-haired man, Jackson, raced over and managed to pull Namjoon away from him.

 

“Joon, man, you'll regret this.” Jackson tried to reason with him. Upon noticing that Namjoon was all but snarling at the guard, Jaebum extended his arm to a tight grip on Namjoon’s wrist.

 

“Namjoon, stop.” His gruff voice sounded.

 

In the moment when Namjoon had refocused on the situation, he turned to glance at the black-haired man who had grabbed his arm. He was immediately punched in the face by the guard who had gotten on his feet, blood dripping from his already bruising nose. Namjoon tore himself from Jaebum and Jackson, jumping from the table over to the guard and taking him to the ground. Punches were thrown by both men, both disregarding the shouts of Taehyung, who had gotten up and tried prying each off the other. At this point, nearly the entire room swarmed around them, cheering for one person or another enthusiastically. Taehyung paced to them and managed to pull Namjoon to his feet, yelling incredulously. Namjoon was too far gone in his haze of rage to quite figure it out when Taehyung smacked him right across the face. He growled, catching his arm after the slap and mercilessly squeezing his wrist, not registering what was happening.

 

Jimin, who had seen most of this unfold, ran over and assisted Taehyung. He kneed Namjoon in the groin as hard as possible when he tried to push the smaller boy away, and halt his attempts to get him to release his painful grip on the small brunette. As Namjoon recoiled and curled in to protect his midsection, letting go of Taehyung, Jimin brought his knee up to the turquoise-haired man’s nose. Taehyung ran in a panic to check on Hoseok, who had still been lying on the ground. Namjoon didn’t even flinch, sweeping his arms past Jimin’s legs and flinging them out from under him. He landed hard on his ass and winced as he hit the side of his head on the table, causing a bit of a gash to form.

 

Hoseok pulled away from Taehyung and got back up as Jimin fell, charging Namjoon. He desperately threw flurried punches from his good arm until more guards stormed the room, pulling Namjoon away from him. The other inmates cleared out as they rushed in. Hoseok took deep breaths and sat to talk to a medic, holding his wounded arm as more guards held the bloodied Namjoon in place, pulling his arms behind his back to cuff him. Taehyung was impervious to the looks he was given as he helped Jimin to his feet, using his sleeve to wipe the blood from the edge of his forehead.

 

As Namjoon was harshly dragged out of the room, Taehyung gave him a dismayed look. Taehyung stared at the door far too long after Namjoon was taken away. He was only pulled out of his own head when Jimin hugged him. He hadn't felt the tears rolling down his cheeks until the pink-haired boy kissed them away and whispered reassurances to him.

 

After a moment, Taehyung called himself down, before heating back up again upon reviewing the damage Namjoon had done. Hoseok had a dislocated shoulder, a busted lip, and a nose that hadn't quite broken but gotten damn close. Jimin had a huge gash on his forehead and would undoubtedly be covered in even more bruises. He himself had a sore wrist that was starting to bruise. He assured Jimin he was alright, then went over to Hoseok, who gave him a sad smile. It almost broke Tae.

 

“I'm sorry.” He whispered, trying to keep his voice steady. “I don't know what came over him.”

 

Jimin overheated and was fuming from behind him. “You don't have to apologize for him!”

 

Hoseok let out a small chuckle and ruffled Taehyung’s hair.

 

“Jimin is right. You don't need to apologize. And I am largely at fault. I was...pushing it.” He conceded, giving Taehyung a comforting smile. “And don't worry so much about me, okay?” He added, looking at the wrist the inmate had been absentmindedly rubbing. “Take care of yourself.”

 

  * °●☆



 

The week without Namjoon was hell. Taehyung had to sleep alone in his own cell for the first time in a while. Late at night, when he would awake from an unpleasant dream, he would reach out to the man from what was now a force of habit. The realization that he was gone would crash down and hurt him more. Taehyung was torn. Even after Namjoon got back, he felt himself drifting away from him. Every time he looked at him, he would remember the things he left with Taehyung. Namely, the bruises, loneliness, and abashment. He strayed from his usual spots at lunch and in the courtyard, and even in the showers. He didn't know how to confront him. It wasn't that he didn't want to see him, nor that he was exceptionally angry about the fight. Rather, he was worried that he should've been. Namjoon was reckless and overtly aggressive. Despite this, he couldn't bring himself to be angry at the other boy.

 

So, instead of going to have any sort of discussion with the turquoise-haired man, he would find a spot by himself in an isolated corner where he could let himself sink between the cracks of his confident and headstrong façade to just take a much-needed break from everything. He felt if it kept up for much longer, he would disappear slowly into his growing anxieties. Eventually, he began to notice some strange behavior from Namjoon. Taehyung, however, still couldn't bring himself to talk to the older boy. The growing power Namjoon had over him had begun to frighten him.

 

  * °●☆



 

Namjoon could feel it. The intense apprehension that overwhelmed Taehyung everytime they made any sort of contact after he returned.

 

When they made eye contact,

when they passed each other in the hall,

especially when Namjoon tried to approach him.

 

The turquoise-haired boy saw the same look in his eyes that he did after their first confrontation. The look of confliction. Not of disgust, but something Namjoon thought was damn near it.  He could only think of that every time he saw him now. That, and the way he looked at him after his fight with Hoseok. The distress sprawled across his expression and his posture exuded distrust. He never wanted to see that look again, from Taehyung at least.

 

_ What the hell is wrong with me? The one thing I didn’t want to fuck up.  _ Namjoon looked back and forth between his tray of food and Taehyung, who was sitting across the cafeteria.

 

He had an iron grip on his tray and felt the flimsy metal bow slightly between his hands as he got up to throw away his food that was untouched. He let his gaze linger on Taehyung and Jimin, sitting with each other. His eyes were full of regret as he left the room quickly, unable to stay any longer.  Not soon after leaving, as he began to roam the hallways, he started to feel a too-familiar itch. Maybe not even an itch, it was an uncomfortableness growing under his skin. He was hit with a devastating wave of nausea, and the uncomfortable feeling spread all over.

 

As soon as he got to his cell, he let himself fall into his bed. His head was throbbing, his thoughts running marathons in all different directions to make absolute sure he couldn’t pinpoint any one thing, let alone begin to make sense of any of it. He was drowning in an immense gray ocean full of thoughts as razor-sharp and deadly as the teeth of sharks that wanted nothing more than to tear him apart from the inside out. He couldn’t think of anything but what was making him feel this pain: Kim Taehyung.

  
  


  * °●☆



 

Taehyung wasn’t stupid. As dumb as he pretended to be sometimes, he is very intelligent. That being said, he tried as hard as he could to pretend to not see the way Namjoon looked at him, but he still noticed it clear as day. As soon as he saw that empty, defeated gaze, he knew he had to go and talk to him. He excused himself from the table with Jimin after scarfing down the rest of his food. He left a very confused pink-haired boy with a sudden goodbye and raced from the room.

 

He couldn’t help but be worried about Namjoon. Despite everything his head told him, his heart still constricted with worry for his well-being. Everything was a blur until he got to Namjoon. He found him lying on the bed, clutching his pillow and breathing far too quickly. He rushed to the side of the other boy and grabbed his hands. He squeezed them, trying to get him to focus.

 

"Namjoon?" He fretted, beginning to panic as the turquoise-haired boy didn't respond at all to his presence as if he didn't even realize he was there. His eyes had a worrying, glazed-over appearance that Taehyung knew couldn't be a good sign. He couldn't tell what was going on, and could only assume the worst when Namjoon's breath seemed to hitch and stop, his eyes widening further.

 

"Namjoon!" He yelled this time, not caring who might hear, and what ideas they might get from it. This seemed to break the trance the other was in for a few seconds and he took a sudden, deep breath. He looked at Taehyung, eyes welling with tears.

 

Namjoon, clearly not wanting to address what had happened, relaxed his grip on the pillow and sat up a bit, looking away from the frantic boy in front of him.

 

"Why are you here?" He murmured, just able to raise his voice to a whisper. Taehyung didn't know how to respond, unsure how to answer for a moment.

 

"I was worried about you." He replied, hesitantly. "I don't know." He reached for Namjoon's hands, linking them with his own. They said nothing for a few moments as Namjoon seemed to calm down. Each of them knew this was something they had to talk about. It would only grow to be worse if it was left unaddressed. But, that wasn't a discussion for right now. Taehyung knew that. He just leaned in to give Namjoon a short-lived kiss before lying down with him in the bed.

 

For one of the first times in a long time, Taehyung felt needed. He wrapped his arms around Namjoon and rubbed soothing circles on his back. As Namjoon -who usually maintained most of the control in any situation- slowly relinquished his control and released tension, he fell asleep. Taehyung followed suit not too long after.


End file.
